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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23371600">Stay A Little Longer</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antisociallilbrat/pseuds/Antisociallilbrat'>Antisociallilbrat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tumblr Prompts [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Bisexual Bill Denbrough, Gay Mike Hanlon, M/M, eddie and richie are only mentioned, this shit sad</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 13:00:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,121</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23371600</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antisociallilbrat/pseuds/Antisociallilbrat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Bill reflects on Mike's and his relationship as he leaves Mike yet again.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bill Denbrough/Audra Phillips, Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tumblr Prompts [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1664356</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Stay A Little Longer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Part of tumbler prompts. First take on writing angst so please forgive me if it's not super good.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Bill please just stay a little longer.”</p><p>“Mikey, I can’t, you know that,” Bill said while pulling his shirt back on. </p><p>“It won’t hurt for you to just stay for a few more minutes, you don’t always have to rush out of here,” Mike was silent for a moment before finishing, “It’s not gonna hurt her anymore if you stayed longer.”</p><p>That stung. Bill turned around from where he was sitting on the edge of the bed pulling his shoes on to look Mike in the eyes. Mike was perched up on his elbows, laying down still naked under the covers, radiating in a post sex glow. </p><p>“Mikey, please don’t start this again. I’ll be back next week, yeah?” Bill reaches out squeezes Mike’s hand, a gesture he hopes reassures the man.</p><p>They’ve been doing this for a while now, sleeping together. Despite the fact that Bill’s married to Audra, or the fact that Bill knows Mike loves him, something he’s too scared to return. </p><p>It had started back when they were teenagers, Mike had always just had this pull-on Bill. As if Mike was the radiant sun, and Bill a lonely planet, helpless to his gravitational force. From sharing secret kisses under the covers at sleepovers during their teen years, to hooking up in the dark during college, to right now, still meeting together in secret. </p><p>No matter how enamored by Mike Bill was, Bill was terrified of their relationship coming to the light of day. The leader of the self-proclaimed losers club was nothing but a coward, and he was ashamed. He saw the strife that Eddie and Richie had went through when they came out, and Bill just didn’t think he was as strong as they were. He couldn’t face the disappoint he would see in his parent’s eyes; he couldn’t deal with the public that was sure to backlash. </p><p>Bill was the one who always discouraged Mike when he would try to tell Bill that they could be together in the open, they just had to want it bad enough. In his cowardly ways he was always able to convince Mike that their relationship was better in secret; they could protect it that way. In truth, Bill was just too scared of what he had with Mike.</p><p>Mike on the other hand, Mike was proud to be who he was. It was Mike that had lead all the firsts with them, Bill helpless to follow. Mike who brave enough to come out when he saw that two of his closest friends also had the courage. Mike’s only fault in Bill’s opinion was Mike falling in love with him.</p><p>Mike knew Bill would date girls, which he would convince Mike in secret that it was just to keep up appearances. “It would be suspicious if we’re both single and hanging out as often as we do. Especially now that you’ve came out,” He had told him. </p><p>The line had been drawn at Audra though. Bill liked her, he knows he lies to himself when he tries to himself that he loves her, but she’s nice enough. Even when her and Bill was starting to get serious, Bill never stayed away from Mike. Mike never would ask about her when he came over, and Bill never brought her up. It was an unspoken agreement between them.</p><p>When Bill had deemed enough time had passed dating her, he moved on to the next logical step. He proposed to her, which she had gleefully accepted. That’s when Mike had lost it. </p><p>Bill had head over to Mike’s apartment after a celebratory engagement party with the losers, one Mike had made some piss poor excuse about not attending. When Bill had arrived at his apartment, he found a very distraught and very drunk Mike. He had never once heard Mike yelled, he always such a gentle giant, but he practically screamed at Bill that night. “I love you! I have fucking loved you since we were kids! I thought that if I just kept giving you time, that you would finally grow some fucking balls and admit you felt the same!”</p><p>Not knowing what to say, Bill had just left. He did love Mike, but it wasn’t right for them to be together. Bill hated what he did to Mike, he didn’t deserve Mike’s love. After that night Bill made a promise to himself that he would leave Mike alone, that it was better for Mike for him to stay away. He ended up breaking that promise a month after the wedding.</p><p>The other losers knew something was up during that time, but they knew better to push the matter. They were upset when Mike didn’t attend the wedding, Richie even yelled at him for it, but Bill told them to back off, to which they did. Besides Mike’s blaring absence, the wedding went off without a hitch. The tabloids had called it a fairytale wedding, if only they knew that the groom had been getting fucked by a tall handsome man up until the engagement.</p><p>Bill missed Mike during that time, he ached for him. He heard from Stan that Mike was doing okay, even had some steady new boyfriend. Bill tried to ignore the pain in his chest when he heard that, he was a newlywed, he had no damn right to be upset. That didn’t stop Bill from finally relenting and calling Mike up not too long after that conversation. </p><p>Mike and Bill easily fell back together after that. Mike even cut ties with his then boyfriend, he wasn’t a cheater like Bill. It wasn’t the same now. Bill was married now, and Mike’s confession of love still hung in the air when they would undress each other. Bill was smart now though, he doesn’t give them a chance to talk, fearing that if they did, he could lose Mike again. </p><p>Sometimes though, like right now, as Bill was getting dressed Mike would try to convince him just stay a little longer. It made Bill feel as sick as he did when Mike told him he loved him, and Bill had just walked out. It was worst now, because now not only was he hurting Mike, he was hurting an unknowing Audra. Neither of them deserved it, but Bill can’t help himself. He can’t keep himself away from Mike, and he needs Audra so that people don’t start to suspect things. Bill thinks he’s the worst fucking person alive.</p><p>Mike broke Bill out his contemplation, “Okay Bill,” he squeezes Bill’s hand back.</p><p>Bill smiles at Mike as he heads out the door and ignores the look of pain on Mike’s face. He’ll be back next week, he always is.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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